WHERE WERE YOU, LUNA?

"Luna?" Lorenzo's voice sliced through the tense air, drawing his attention to a petite figure standing transfixed by the garden, adjacent to the house they just invaded. Closing the distance, he recognized her unmistakable silhouette and seized her by the arm.

"What in the world are you doing here, you little nymph? His voice carried a mixture of anger and frustration. "Did you follow me down here? Answer me!"

Still reeling from the shock of the grisly scene she had witnessed, Luna remained speechless, her mind clouded by the recent horrors. She struggled to form coherent thoughts, let alone articulate a response to Lorenzo's barrage of questions.

Lorenzo gestured to one of his accomplices, instructing, "Take her to the truck, now."

The accomplice roughly grabs Luna's arm and pushes her forward, causing her to stumble. Annoyed by his companion's rough handling, Lorenzo calls him over, delivering a sharp slap to the back of his head.

"Have you lost your mind? Do you want to get the little girl bruised before we deliver her back to Rossi? Or do you think he would appreciate her being injured?" Lorenzo's tone was sharp, laced with a warning.

Rubbing the sore spot on his head, the accomplice offered a hasty apology, "I'm sorry Lorenzo"

"You better be! Now gather our things and let's get the hell out of here!" With a firm grip, Lorenzo lifts Luna into the truck, settling her beside him in the back seat.

As they drive off, Luna could not shake the haunted expression from the face of the young boy who had witnessed the tragedy alongside her. Did he know the victims, or was he, like her, fleeing his own grim fate? She could not tell who he was, but she was certain he had been deeply affected by the horrifying scene.

Throughout the journey back to her uncle's mansion, Lorenzo maintained a façade of indifference, as if the barbaric act he had just committed didn't faze him the slightest. The only thing that obviously was of concern to him was his slightly broken nose which he kept looking at through a mirror, and continuously dabbing the blood oozing from it with the piece of cloth he tore from the woman he murdered few hours ago.

Luna could not help but wonder if Lorenzo possessed a heart capable of remorse. While many people regarded Lorenzo as a formidable figure, she on the other hand saw him as nothing more than a twisted psychopath. To her, he was a depraved serial killer who had somehow escaped capture and found gainful employment under her uncle's wing.

This wasn't the first time Lorenzo had engaged in such atrocities. He had a long history of carrying out despicable assignments under Don Rossi's name, ranging from murdering families to poisoning rivals and even abducting children. It came as no surprise that Rossi had enlisted someone so willing to execute his darkest desires. Lorenzo was akin to her uncle's Santa Klaus, or in this case, personal executioner, always ready to fulfill his most sinister wishes without question or hesitation.

Despite his penchant for inflicting pain on others, Lorenzo led a solitary existence devoid of any lasting connections. He had spent all his life hurting other people's families that he never came close to having one. The closest he came to forming lasting bonds were the fleeting liaisons with various women who graced his bed. Rumors have it that once, one of these encounters had resulted in an unintended pregnancy, but rather than take responsibility, Lorenzo had allegedly orchestrated the demise of both the woman and her unborn child to evade any consequences.

Arriving back at Don Rossi's mansion in the early hours of the next morning, Luna is swiftly dragged into his chambers. Rossi, visibly agitated, paces back and forth until he notices Luna's presence alongside Lorenzo and two guards escorting them in.

"Leave us," Don Rossi commands calmly, his tone belying the simmering tension beneath the surface. The other guards exit the room, leaving Lorenzo and Luna alone with him. Despite his directive Rossi finds Lorenzo still lingering in his room.

"I said leave us" he repeats his command through clenched teeth, prompting Lorenzo to begrudgingly depart with a hint of resentment.

Alone with Luna, Rossi settles onto the couch beside his bed, directing his attention to her with a softer demeanor. "Where were you, Luna?" he inquires gently, the tension in the room palpable. Luna remains silent, casting her gaze downwards, unsure of how to respond to his question.

"Luna," Rossi calls out softly, beckoning her closer. "Come here".

Reluctantly, Luna walks up to Rossi, cautiously measuring each step. Stopping midway, she stands a few paces from him, hesitant to draw nearer.

"Come on, come closer." Rossi urges, his tone coaxing.

Luna complies inching closer to him, only to be met with a sudden, stinging slap that sends her sprawling to the floor. Paying no mind to the little girl trembling before him, Don Rossi delivers a stern warning.

"Don't you ever try to make me look stupid again. Your mother did once and I would not tolerate it from you or anyone else. Do you hear me?!" He admonishes, his voice raised, sending shivers down Luna's spine as she frantically nods in response.

"Guards!" Don Rossi calls out, summoning two of his security personnel who enter promptly, awaiting instructions.

"Take her to her room and ensure she doesn't so much as peep through her window!" he orders.

One of the guards lifts Luna from the floor, escorting her out of Rossi's room, while the other retrieves her scattered belongings. Upon being placed in her room and locked inside, Luna collapses into tears. Her heart shattered, her body trembling, her eyes covered in tears and her throat aching from the silence she observed all the way back here.

This was the first time Don Rossi successfully laid hands on her. Despite several close calls in the past, Luna's mother always intervened, shielding her from Rossi's grasp. She always made sure their paths never crossed and that Luna had no reason to ask him for anything. She was Luna's protector, her knight in shining armor, that shielded her from the monster they shared a cage with.

The mere thought of her mother intensified Luna's anguish. Why did she had to leave her to this life, unprepared and vulnerable to her uncle's cruelty? Why bother to share all that love and hope if she was going to abandon her to a life that restricted her from fully experiencing all that? Why did her mother decide to turn her back against her like the world did?

Pondering on all these tormenting thoughts, Luna could not also believe she was back here – returned to captivity. It felt like she went window-shopping for freedom, and returned back because she lacked the means to attain it. But then, if the freedom or life outside her confined walls were anything like the tragic event she experienced today, she may not be equipped to face it yet, despite her mother's teachings. Perhaps, she considers, her best chance at survival lies with Don Carlo. Maybe she should resign herself to whatever fate awaits her in his hands.

As Luna drifts off into sleep amidst her tears, her mind lingers on the image of the little boy from last night. She hopes that if he, too was fleeing as she was, fate would be kinder to him than it has been to her.